Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Boston College basketball players stricken with E. coli after eating at Chipotle

Almost the whole Boston College basketball team are among the 30-plus students who became sick after eating at Chipotle restaurant in Brighton, Mass. this weekend.

The players ate at the same Chipotle in Cleveland Circle where other students ended up with symptoms of E. coli and now at least ten members of the team are laid out with the sickness.

A handful of BC players missed Sunday's upset loss to UMass-Lowell due to the illness which includes severe diarrhea and abdominal pain which usually last up to a week. Some cases are severe and patients can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which is a type of kidney failure.

BC coaches have confirmed that the food poisoning that caused a group of players to miss Sunday's game was actually E. coli.

A source from the BC staff said that there are now 10 players on the roster with "stomach issues". Throw in Eli Carter, who is still recovering from an ankle injury, and it makes 11 BC players unable to practice. The team cancelled practice Monday but is hopeful that enough players will be feeling better tomorrow to be able to drill.

The following email alert was sent out to BC athletes on Monday:

An email sent out earlier today to all the BC athletes. General population got one a couple hours later. pic.twitter.com/Ss0uQZdyMA

Head Coach Jim Christian said he received a call from two players Sunday morning saying they had food poisoning. One was Dennis Clifford, the team's leading rebounder, who did not play in the Eagles' 68-66 loss later that day.

So far that restaurant has not been linked to the nationwide outbreak that sickened at least 52 people in nine states, but Boston Inspections Services has ordered a temporary closure of the establishment until they complete their investigation.

The status of all players impacted by the nasty bacteria remains uncertain for the Providence game Wednesday night.